Reviews
Part of Podcast advertising reviews explained for confident buying decisions
Podcast advertising: five checks and a bidder scoring sheet
Use five checks to assess podcast advertising bids, then score inventory, labelling, data, reporting and commercial terms with a weighted sheet.
What to take away
- A good provider is one that passes your written criteria, not the one with the strongest sales deck.
- Score five thingsinventory fit, ad labelling, data contract, reporting evidence and commercial terms.
- Overseas sellers add a VAT step, because the buyer accounts for the VAT under the reverse charge.
- Price sits inside the score. A cheap quote with weak evidence is not cheap.
- For named platforms, read the separate piece on podcast advertising tools.
Which types of provider will you meet?
Providers sell podcast ad space in different ways. Group them by what you actually buy before you compare any price, because a quote from a network and a quote from an exchange are not the same product.
| Provider type | What you buy | First question to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Network or sales house | Slots across a fixed list of shows | Which shows are in the package? |
| Self-serve marketplace | Slots booked by you in a portal | Who handles the audio file and the label? |
| Programmatic exchange | Automated insertion by audience rules | Where will the ad actually run? |
| Agency or buying group | Planning, buying and reporting | What is the fee on top of media? |
Ask every type for the same written answers. A supplier comparison is only fair when each bidder answers identical questions.
What should each provider prove?
Start with inventory fit. The provider should list the shows or categories your ad would run in, with audience figures and the method behind them. Ask for a sample report, not a template, and compare it with your own reporting dashboard needs.
Next, ad labelling. The GOV.UK guidance for content creators names podcasts and says disclosure for ads must be given at the beginning of the ad. Ask how the provider inserts or checks a spoken label.
Then data. Any provider that builds audiences or measures conversions handles personal data for you. The ICO guidance on processor contracts covers duty of confidence, security measures and sub-processors among the terms to settle. Keep the answers in writing.
How do VAT and contract terms change the shortlist?
Check where the contracting company sits. Under HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) VAT rules, a buyer of services from outside the UK must account for the VAT under the reverse charge procedure. That adds an accounting step, even when the VAT can be recovered.
Ask for the fee schedule, the payment terms and the cancellation rules in the same document. Commission, ad-serving fees and production charges should appear as named lines. A provider that will not name them has handed you a gap to price in.
For a deeper check on the company itself, use the vendor due diligence steps before you sign.
Example: scoring two bidders on one sheet
Weights are illustrative. Give each criterion a score from 0 to 5, multiply by its weight and add the results. The maximum is 500.
Weight
- Inventory fit
- 25
- Ad labelling
- 20
- Data contract
- 20
- Reporting evidence
- 20
- Commercial terms
- 15
Provider A score
- Inventory fit
- 4
- Ad labelling
- 5
- Data contract
- 3
- Reporting evidence
- 4
- Commercial terms
- 3
Provider B score
- Inventory fit
- 5
- Ad labelling
- 2
- Data contract
- 4
- Reporting evidence
- 3
- Commercial terms
- 4
Provider A scores (4x25) + (5x20) + (3x20) + (4x20) + (3x15) = 100 + 100 + 60 + 80 + 45 = 385. Provider B scores 125 + 40 + 80 + 60 + 60 = 365.
The gap is small, and the labelling score explains it. Provider B has the better inventory, but a weak label process is a compliance risk you carry, so A wins on this sheet.
How should you record the decision?
Keep a one-page record per provider: the scores, the evidence you saw and the questions it declined to answer. Declined questions tend to predict where a renewal will stall.
Review the shortlist at each planning cycle, or when a provider changes ownership or reporting. If you buy through an intermediary, apply the same sheet to the agency reviews you rely on. Handle audience data under your own data protection rules.
Common questions
Should I rank providers by price?
No. Score every candidate against the same criteria, then negotiate with the two or three that clear your bar. Ranking by price rewards the quote with the least evidence behind it.
Can I rely on a provider's own audience figures?
Treat them as claims until you see the method. Reconcile them against your own campaign data after the first flight, and ask the provider to explain any gap.
How many providers belong on a shortlist?
Keep it short enough that you can read every written answer side by side. Once the answers stop being comparable, the shortlist is too long.
